The combination of neutron diffraction, small angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron imaging techniques (radiography, tomography, neutron grating interferometry, energy resolved imaging, multimodal imaging, etc) provides complementary information about the phase constitution (sizes and vol.%), residual stress and texture of the material under investigation. Used in-situ with sophisticated equipments such as a quenching dillatometer, tensile rig or oven, those techniques provide unique information about material structure (texture/stress) and phase transformations. Phenomena such as precipitation, segregation and solvus kinetics, defects formation can be followed in real time as a function of an applied physical constraint.

Such a correlation between structure and physical properties allows the fundamental understanding of phenomena controlling the properties of the materials and is thus essential for further technological improvements.

Typical applications that have been measured at STRESS-SPEC, SANS1 and ANTARES @MLZ are high temperature alloys, industrial components, welds, metal powders for additive manufacturing and final pieces, engines, batteries, fuel cells… However, and taking into account that neutrons allow the analysis of large samples and the use of sophisticated sample environments, we aim to open also the possibility of studying new materials, devices and processes by in-situ measurements and challenging sample environments that can contribute from material process optimization to final applications engineering.